Heartlines
by Floor-Ninja
Summary: Moments in time. Snapshots, oneshots and drabbles. All characters, all heart. THIS TIME: Power Joe bonds with the kids.
1. Always

**Author:** Ninja  
**Author's Note:** This will be our dumping ground for shorter material and prompts. We hope you enjoy.

* * *

He always came back here.

The sun was waning, large and bold. It illuminated wisps of clouds that drifted, indifferent, before and about it with each lit like flame. The horizon stretched for miles, almost endless, out into the sea. Every wave shimmered red in the light and specked with gold.

There was no doubt a million places across the globe where one could stand and be transfixed by a similar sight; the same sun, the same light. But he always came here, to this spot, because here things were different somehow - here there was meaning. Here, beneath the water and the air was something precious; something of him.

In times of trouble and uncertainty he always came here, without fail, and he wasn't sure what was sadder: that he always did so, or that being here in this place always managed to comfort him.

"What do you say?" he asked the air. His gaze pierced past the red of the sky; past the dark sweep of his helm, looking at nothing but looking _for _something. It was a something he knew was long gone.

And it was always the same question asked in slightly different ways: _What would you do?_

It was quiet. Buildings, old and shadowed, groaned. A pier stretched out before him empty of movement. The post beneath his feet bore his weight with ease. He felt suspended and weightless, as though he existed outside of time even though the steady descent of the sun told him otherwise. Sliver by sliver it disappeared always without fail, marking yet another day.

He knew himself. He knew why he always came here, knew what brought him here and what called to him with the advance of every night. He knew the urge for what it was: the opportunity to breathe life into a ghost, to reach out and touch memory. Sentimental, he realized, and so very human – this he knew as well.

_Armor moving in the dark. A red glint, a small smile. The blur of movement, the sigh of air, cold and rushing._

"_Slow today."_

"_Faster than you."_

He turned his head. Littering the landscape behind him was a multitude of lights; a blanket of white and blue that washed out the stars. The city gleamed alive and distant and as stark against the sky as he.

_Hands moving in the light. A small smile, a green flash. The tap of movement, the whine of tools, dull and sparking._

"_Another mode?"_

"_A tank this time."_

So little escaped him. Every sensor whirred with life. Within and about him nothing was still. Nothing, that is, except for his body; always upright, balanced, arms crossed, pulsing with the here and now.

_Shadows shifting in the light. A green flash, a thin laugh. The brush of movement, the glint of weapons, quick as lightning._

"_This will be the last upgrade."_

"_Soon you'll be complete."_

The sun dipped lower. Color bled away with it, tinting his purple armor black. It was always this subtle shift that brought him back and untangled his thoughts and drew his gaze back to the sea. His vents sighed as though he were breathing.

Always, just before the plunge, he managed one last breath.

/Dekkado to Shadowmaru,/ the radio crackled, always on cue. /Checking in./

"_Will you be there?"_

/This is Shadowmaru. On my way./

_Gaze downcast in the dark. A sad smile, a small frown. The lack of movement, a slow nod, all wrapped in silence._

He leaped, wings flaring; sharp, black, sudden, outlined by the sun, always shifting shape at the apex of the jump with his thrusters screaming toward the sky.

"_I don't know why I ask. You always are."_

* * *

_Live my life to the fullest, you told me. Two laughs for every one; once for me, and once for you._

_What do you say, Kagerou? Does that sound fair?_

_You always kept your promises._

_Well... So will I._


	2. Choked Up

**Author:** Floor  
**Timeline:** Post Episode 25

* * *

_Stupid machine._

That's what it was; just an unintelligent accumulation of metal parts. It did not have thoughts and emotions like he did, and it was just meant to do its job. _One job._

"**Come on!**" Gunmax tried starting Gun Bike again, to no avail. The bike's engine coughed at him and he narrowed his optics at it. For a soulless vehicle, it sure had some nerve cutting out on him like this - and in the middle of his patrol, too.

The Motorcycle Detective dismounted his bike and stepped onto the damp morning grass. The roads were quieter this time of day, with only the occasional car passing his roadside pit stop. A white hatchback sped past him with a young face pressed against the window in the backseat. _What are you gawking at? _

Gunmax flicked his visored optics over Gun Bike and didn't know exactly what he was looking for. Nothing _looked_ broken. Despite it being a 'stupid machine,' the biker always made sure his transport was in good shape. After all, he had to be seen riding it. He checked the connections to see if anything was loose, and then checked that the gauge was correct by inspecting the fuel level of the tank.

Everything appeared to be in order.

That only made Gunmax even more frustrated. He kicked Gun Bike's tyre angrily.

"Doesn't that count as domestic violence?"

Gunmax twisted sharply at the sound of another's voice behind him. Right when he recognised Shadowmaru's familiar face, Gun Bike fell against the back of his legs and slammed him ungracefully to the ground. With his bike now on top of him, Gunmax found himself staring at a very small weed growing in the grass.

He heard a chuckle. "Looks like Gun Bike can hold her own."

The biker spat a mouthful of dirt. "_'It'_ is being a pain in the ass." _Quite literally._

"My apologies." An outstretched hand appeared in Gunmax's limited field of vision. "I didn't realise you two were on those kind of terms." The green brave reached for the hand and was pulled from beneath the fallen bike. Once brought to his feet, he quickly brushed at his body to make himself more presentable for... uh... his current company. He wiped the dirt from his face and straightened his visor. Shadowmaru just... waited.

Gunmax heard himself snort with laughter despite everything. "At least boyscout didn't see that. I wouldn't be allowed out unescorted for a week!"

Shadowmaru's lips quirked into a smirk. "I won't tell him anything."

"Good."

Gunmax... realised he was standing really close to Shadowmaru. The taller mech had angled his face down and Gunmax found himself staring into emerald optics. He stepped back a couple of times but came to a halt when the back of his foot hit his bike. _Dammit. _He was still close. Too close. Gunmax folded his arms over his chest in order to maintain what self-confidence he had left. "Why are you here, anyway?" He tried grinning, but stopped when he felt the texture of dirt on his teeth. He opted for a smirk instead. "Do your secret missions involve spying on handsome bikers?"

"Hmm." Shadowmaru made an amused noise and stepped further back into the ditch and away from Gunmax. "Unfortunately, no. I was just in the neighbourhood. You looked like you needed help."

Gunmax snorted. "I would have been just fine."

Shadowmaru gave him a quick glance over (Gunmax tried not to feel embarrassed.) "Looks that way."

Ignoring him (because that seemed like the best way to not notice how alluring he was), Gunmax turned and began to lift Gun Bike upright. The vehicle was roughly twice his weight so this was no easy task. When he lifted higher, the pressure lessened and Gunmax glanced aside to find Shadowmaru was helping him. "I don't need your hel-"

"I know."

"... Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The bike stood on its tyres once more. Gunmax balanced the heavy machine on its stand and noticed Shadowmaru was looking over it.

"It just cut out on me," he explained to the ninja brave who was currently leaned over the bike in a totally-not-attractive way.

"Did you check the fuel tank?" Shadowmaru asked him.

"Of course." _I'm not always this idiotic. __Only when you're around... _

The violet brave rocked the bike lightly in his grip before opening the fuel tank to peer inside. "Just as I suspected."

"It's full?" Gunmax answered, sarcastic.

"Sand."

"Huh?" Gunmax moved around Gun Bike to stand next to him.

"Who looked over Gun Bike after..." Shadowmaru's voice faltered.

Realisation dawned on the Motorcycle Detective. _The chieftain incident... _"Tsunekawa," was his reply.

"There's sand in the tank," Shadowmaru explained while replacing the cap. "It causes the engine to stall."

Gunmax straightened and looked at nothing in particular. "How did you know?"

Shadowmaru's form was unmoving; a dark shape in the corner of Gunmax's vision. He then said the one word Gunmax had hoped he wouldn't:

"Experience."


	3. Melon Butt

**Author:** Ninja  
**Author's Note:** We read the titles of the first three drabbles as one and now we can't stop laughing.

* * *

There was a song. It was an English song and _preeetty_ old, but it was kind of catchy and hell if Power Joe didn't currently have it stuck in his head. There was just something about it, you know? It spoke to his very _soul_.

_These boots are made for walking~_

Well, sort of. He couldn't wear boots (not in this body. Maybe if they were really big? Wait, cancel that thought. _The Commissioner might hear_.) He did, however, have tracks and a fine pair of treads.

Feeling inspired, Power Joe determined that a bit of self-editing was in order. The dial on his radio flicked up a notch.

_These treads are made for..._

They sort of... rolled?

_These treads are made for rolling~_ _ And that's just what they'll..._

Eh, it just didn't have the same ring to it. There really needed to be more songs about power shovels out there.

Disappointment set in.

"Hey, hey!" the power shovel in question barked at the two children currently crowding his dash. "Back in the seat, kiddos."

"Aw, but we're really squished," Masaki complained while peeking out the driver's window.

"Too bad," Power Joe sing-songed with an airy laugh. "It's one seat, so you have to share. Now hop back on."

Knowing this was a battle they couldn't win, Masaki and his squishy accomplice - Kikumaro - climbed back onto the seat with a shuffle of limbs. The seat belt promptly snapped back over them. After a bit of wriggling, the two boys appeared to settle down. Confident in the knowledge that his little charges were now secure, Power Joe shifted his focus back to the road in front of him.

"I'm almost certain there's a law against this," Kikumaro whispered to no one while straightening his glasses. Power Joe did a quick internal search via his database. It seemed there _was_ a law against sticking two kids in a single seat. However, there was also a law about power shovels and roads, which was just silly. Power Joe flicked both of the notations to the side. _Hmph._

"Looks like Emily had the right idea," Masaki said and peered over the dashboard.

Seated comfortably in the shovel's scoop facing them, and with a great deal of space to sprawl all her stuff in, was Emily. The younger girl sat with her legs skipping idly between the scoop's dull teeth and had one hand clutching a melon-flavored ice cream bar. When she noticed the two boys squinting at her through the window she giggled and waved with her free hand.

"I told you the scenic seat was better," Power Joe informed them. Yuuta quite enjoyed it, after all. Sometimes. ...Just not that one time. You know. The first time.

"Yeah, but it doesn't have a seat belt," Masaki argued.

"Pfft! Why'd you need that?" Power Joe rebutted with a chuff of his engine. "I'm plenty safe!"

"Then why'd you make us sit down?" Kikumaro wondered.

Power Joe sputtered. Emily, looking a little concerned at the sudden bobbing of the vehicle that jostled her pig-tails, tapped a finger at his scoop.

"Mr. Power Joe," she piped up. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing!" the power shovel raced to assure her. Turning his vocalizer back inward, he addressed both Masaki and Kikumaro in what was a very firm and not at all sheepish tone. "Look, I'm a member of the Brave Police. I'm allowed to be-" He quickly flicked through his internal dictionary. "-_Incongruous._"

"...You looked that up..."

Emily continued enjoying her ice cream and was oblivious to the outburst of laughter that radiated from the power shovel's interior. Power Joe, for his part, let himself feel a bit embarrassed, but after the initial fluster passed the sound of the kids' laughter was far more adorable than it was belittling and he found himself laughing with them. _That_ caused the young girl to startle and upon noticing Masaki and Kikumaro peeling with laughter in the seat in front of her, she wrinkled her nose and tugged at the sturdy yellow boom above her head.

"Hey!" she cried. "Are you guys making jokes?"

"Heh- eh heh," the trundling Brave chuckled. (Masaki took the opportunity to make faces at her from beyond the glass. Emily stuck her tongue out at him.) "Ah, they're just laughing at me. You can do that from out here, if you want."

"Why would I do that?" she asked while leaning forward to clasp her hands together. "Emily loves Power Joe!"

"Shucks..." Power Joe's stripes tinted red. "That's good to know."

"What's going on?" It was Kikumaro's turn to tap at the glass. "What is she saying?"

"Hey, Emily, knock it off!" Masaki pouted. "Just cause you got to sit in the big seat..."

"It's weird not being able to see where you're going, but I think I like it better there," Kikumaro admitted.

"What's this?" Power Joe spoke up. "You two want to seat hop?"

"Can we?"

"Sure."

Power Joe pulled over so that the boys could pile out. Emily, disenchanted with this new arrangement, promptly hopped out of the scoop and climbed up into the cab. Power Joe focused his sensors on her when the door clicked shut and he resumed trundling. "Crowded?" he prompted once she'd gotten settled.

"Um... No," she answered while clicking the buckle in place. "But I did spill some melon in there."

"Uh oh." So that's what that sticky sensation was.

The startled cries of the two boys rang clearly through the cloudless day, and this time it was Power Joe and Emily's turn to laugh at them.


End file.
